Monday; November 6

The other day I was reading a news story about a town in the North Central Plains of the United States that was dealing with methamphetamine use.  I almost had to do a double-take because I remember waging war on this scourge almost twenty years ago.  Money was allocated and enforcement efforts were increased to address the issue.  Now, less than two decades later – it’s back!  The same can be said about the presence of opioids and, in particular, heroin.  Back in the day, our nation did a pretty good job of defining the downside of heroin abuse and it seemed like we had a handle on it; but, we find ourselves having to deal with it all over again.  You would think that new generations would learn from the travails of their forefathers, but, I am not sure that assessment is accurate.
As I reflect upon these and other social issues that seem to be returning I have come to realize a couple of things:
          First, illicit behavior has a powerful appeal.  Most people can identify bad choices when they see them but, in too many cases, we make them in spite of reliable information.  Even when we know something is wrong or is bad for us, we do it anyway! 
          Second, we must never give up on the good fight.  Sin and bad habits flourish when we let down our guard.  It is easy to be lulled into a mistaken sense of accomplishment believing that we have won the war over evil.  The truth is that when we feel compelled to relax our vigilance that might be the precise time we should reinforce our defenses.  A premature and false sense of victory can lead to lethargy and fuel the next round of our battle.
          Let’s stay committed to doing what is right.  The good fight is never won and our fight should never be done.
          Think About It!

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